Philanthropy fueling lifelong passion and lighting the way for students
The year is 1965. The Baby Boomer Generation is leaving the nest and starting to flock to universities for education. Tuition is a whopping $225 a semester for five classes, and room and board can be found for $25 per month. Demand for post-secondary education is on the rise, giving birth to fledgling universities such as Simon Fraser University, the University of Regina, and more across Canada.
In British Columbia, life was pretty good for 18-year-old Nils Clausson, who was just beginning his academic career in English literature.
“I paid for my BA with a student loan – the very first year that student loans were available – and I was only $1,800 in debt when I graduated four years later,” recalls Clausson, who went on to complete his master's and doctoral degrees.
There wasn't a single semester during my entire post-secondary education – from undergraduate to doctoral student – that I didn't get at least a part of my tuition paid for via bursary or scholarship. — Dr. Nils Clausson
“I was earning $5,000 a year in graduate scholarships to do my PhD.”
To put this experience into perspective, the annual salary of a high school teacher in 1969 was only $5,500, just $500 more than what he was earning to become Dr. Nils Clausson.
From student to philanthropist
As a result of donors’ generosity and its lifelong impact on him, Clausson has been motivated to give back to and inspire students, both through his philanthropy and during his 30-year career as a professor in the Department of English at the U of R.
“The cost of going to university today compared to when I went to university in the ‘60s and ‘70s, combined with the cost of living, is astronomical,” says Clausson. “When I heard horror stories about student debt, I thought, well, I can probably afford to set up an award that would in some way pay back the good fortune that I had.”
In 2020, Clausson donated $30,000 to establish the Nils Clausson Award in the Creative and Performing Arts for graduate and undergraduate students attending the U of R, in order to support students in their pursuit of artistic endeavours.
To find out more about the Nils Clausson Award in the Creative and Performing Arts, visit the web page.
“I hope there will be a few dozen students who are able to complete their degrees at a lower cost than they would if they had to borrow money or work part time and extend the length of their education,” says Clausson.
Clausson’s advice? “Small donations may seem like a drop in the bucket at first, but if you have a few dozen or even a few hundred donors provide support to students, then the compounding wealth will be significant.”
Paving a new path
As a professor, Clausson eagerly shared his love of literature and teaching. In the mid-90s when the University changed its course schedule, Clausson took the opportunity to pioneer a new course in detective fiction. “It was quite popular,” Clausson recalls. “As a result of teaching this class, I became interested in Arthur Conan Doyle and continue to this day to research and write on other topics of detective fiction.”
Clausson still feels the impact of his time as a professor at the U of R. “After I retired, I was crossing 11th Avenue in front of the Cornwall Centre when a former student came up to me and said, ‘You’re Dr. Clausson, right? I took your detective fiction class years ago and I’m about halfway through reading the entire collection of Sherlock Holmes stories!’”
Nowadays, you can find Clausson hosting monthly meetings of the “Regina Irregulars” (also known as the Sherlock Holmes Society) at the Regina Public Library where the book club discusses the various works of Arthur Conan Doyle.
“I was the middleman between my students and Arthur Conan Doyle, and as it turns out, one of the members of the Regina Irregulars took my detective fiction class,” says Clausson. It’s a role he’s proud to hold.
As a philanthropist, teacher, mentor, and former student, Clausson knows well how acts of kindness can push students forward in their career or life trajectory, which might not have been possible otherwise.
Banner photo credit: University Advancement